


The Toils of Liaison

by enigmaticblue



Series: Alternate S2 [2]
Category: Eureka
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-20
Updated: 2011-01-20
Packaged: 2017-10-14 22:17:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/154070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Telling everybody their dirty little secret becomes a bit more complicated than Jack and Nathan expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Toils of Liaison

Jack collapsed back on Nathan’s bed. “So, is this a thing?”

 

“A thing?” Nathan rolled his head slightly to look at him.

 

“Yeah, you know, a thing.”

 

“’Thing’ isn’t a sufficient descriptor for me to answer that question.” Nathan’s smug response made Jack want to hit him.

 

Jack snorted. “Oh, for… Are we dating?”

 

“Let’s examine the evidence, shall we? We’ve met for dinner twice this week—” Nathan began.

 

“For business,” Jack felt compelled to point out, which was entirely true. They’d had business reasons for both meetings.

 

“Which could easily have been taken care of at the office,” Nathan replied, relentless. “We’re having regular sex—”

 

“Regular really good sex,” Jack had to insert.

 

Nathan grinned his agreement. “So, yes, Sheriff. I think you could classify what we’re doing as dating.”

 

“Huh.” Jack frowned.

 

“Do you have a problem with that?”

 

Jack gave the question some consideration. “No, I just thought it would be weird.”

 

“Trust me. It’s weird enough.” Nathan grinned. “Come on, Jack, loosen up.”

 

“Hey, I’m loose,” Jack replied. “I’m just wondering when we’re going to tell people that we’re dating, if that’s really what we’re doing.”

 

Nathan sighed. “I’m happy with our arrangement the way it is.”

 

“So am I,” Jack replied, knowing that he sounded defensive. “But sooner or later, Zoe is going to ask where I’m spending all my time, if SARAH doesn’t do it first. Allison is going to ask you why you’re suddenly too busy to have dinner with her. And someone is going to wonder why we’re having dinner together more than we absolutely have to.”

 

Nathan let out a breath. “You may have a point.”

 

“Of course I have a point,” Jack replied irritably. “I do know what I’m talking about a lot more than you think I do.”

 

“So, do you want to start telling people?” Nathan asked.

 

Jack hesitated. “Do you?”

 

“I asked you first.”

 

“Are you _twelve_?”

 

“No, but you might be.”

 

Jack sat up and started hunting for his clothing. “Fair enough. I just think that we’re going to have to come clean sooner or later, and things could spin out of control if we don’t manage the flow of information.”

 

Nathan pushed himself up to lean back against the headboard. “You know, I start to get nervous when you actually make sense.”

 

Jack shot him a dirty look. “Bite me.”

 

“Well, since you ask so nicely…”

 

Jack rolled his eyes. “I need to get to work.”

 

“Who do you want to tell first?”

 

“Zoe and Allison,” Jack replied without thinking. “If Zoe finds out from someone else, there’s going to be hell to pay.”

 

“When do you want to do it?” Nathan asked.

 

His serious tone had Jack turning to look at him as he tucked his uniform shirt in. “Seriously?”

 

“Seriously. You’re right about Zoe, and the same could be said for Allison. So, we tell them.”

 

Jack swallowed hard. “You’re—this about more than just sex.”

 

“I think we just agreed that to be the case,” Nathan replied drily.

 

Jack blinked. He honestly hadn’t thought that Nathan would agree so easily. Jack figured he had at least another week of coaxing to do before Nathan would even _think_ about agreeing. “Oh.”

 

Nathan jerked his pants up. “Is it just sex to you, Jack?”

 

“No! I just—” Jack sighed. “I didn’t know what this was to _you_.”

 

“Which is why you asked if this was a thing,” Nathan replied.

 

“Something like that.” Jack buckled his gun belt on. “Look, I’ll talk to Zoe at dinner tonight and break the news to her and SARAH, and you can tell Allison.”

 

Nathan winced. “And won’t _that_ be a fun conversation?”

 

Jack grimaced, thinking about what Zoe was likely to say. She probably had no idea that he had occasionally been interested in men.

 

Well, there had been a couple of guys in college, but there had never been anyone like Nathan.

 

“Does Allison know you occasionally bat for the other team?” Jack asked.

 

Nathan nodded. “I never hid it from her.”

 

“Then she probably won’t be as surprised as Zoe is going to be.” He took a deep breath. “Call you later?”

 

“Let me know how it goes.” Nathan finished buttoning his dress shirt and reached for Jack, pulling him in for a quick kiss. “If you want, you can come by for a drink later tonight.”

 

Jack put a little something extra into the kiss. “We’ll see how well Zoe takes it.”

 

~~~~~

 

Nathan had been a little surprised by Jack’s question. They’d had two weeks of arranging to have dinner or bumping into each other at the gym, and ducking down back corridors at Global Dynamics. Nathan hadn’t had to sneak around in years, but he was enjoying himself quite a bit.

 

He’d expected to put this whole coming out thing off for at least another couple of weeks, but Nathan felt remarkably sanguine about the whole affair.

 

Hell, Nathan liked Jack more than most of his sexual partners, aside from Allison, and he certainly didn’t care for the idea that their relationship would end just because someone found out.  Nathan hadn’t expected Jack to be the one to push the issue, though.

 

And now, Nathan had agreed to tell Allison, and Jack would tell Zoe. Nathan had no idea what Jack would do if Zoe reacted poorly. Jack wanted Zoe’s respect so much that if she decided she wasn’t in favor of their relationship…

 

Nathan took a deep breath and reminded himself not to cross that bridge until they came to it. Right now, all he had to worry about was breaking the news to Allison.

 

He really ought to stop stalling, Nathan thought. He’d avoided her all day, but he wanted to be able to give Jack some news when he called.

 

They were still competing, but this time, Nathan was attempting to beat Jack to the punch, telling Allison before Jack could tell Zoe.

 

He rapped on the doorframe of her office. “Allison?”

 

“Nathan, come in,” she said quietly, although she was smiling. “Close the door.” He did so and took a seat across from her, wincing when she asked, “Did you find out something about Kevin?”

 

“No, I’m sorry,” he said immediately. “I’m still looking.”

 

“I know,” Allison replied, a little of the tension leaving her shoulders. “I’m sorry, I just—”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, cutting her off. “I share your concern, Allie.”

 

“I know you do,” she assured him. “So, what did you want to tell me?”

 

Nathan shifted uneasily. “I’m seeing someone. I wanted to tell you before you heard it through the grapevine.”

 

Allison’s eyes widened, and something—regret or relief, he wasn’t sure—flashed across her face. “I see. Anyone I know?”

 

“Yes.”

 

She arched an eyebrow. “Who?”

 

“Ah, Jack.”

 

Her jaw dropped for one truly satisfying moment. “Seriously? Since when?”

 

“A couple of weeks,” he admitted. “Jack thought we should start telling people before they found out.”

 

Allison stared at him. “Does anyone else know?”

 

“Jack is telling Zoe tonight,” Nathan replied. “So, no. There’s no one else who knows, so far as I’m aware.”

 

Allison smiled, her lips curving in genuine amusement. “Well, won’t that be interesting?”

 

“That’s pretty much what I thought,” he agreed. “Is this—are you okay with it?”

 

Nathan hadn’t really given much thought about what Allison might think—not until this moment—but he wanted her to accept their relationship. Nathan hated to think that their newfound friendship would come to an end, or that her relationship with Jack would be damaged.

 

Nathan had burned enough bridges; he didn’t want to burn this one.

 

“Are you happy?” Allison countered.

 

“Yes,” he replied without thinking. “Very.”

 

“Then that’s all I needed to know.” Allison moved around her desk to press her lips to his cheek. “It’s good that you’re both happy.”

 

Nathan smiled, and then said, “I’d like to bring Jack up to speed on the thing with Kevin and the Artifact. I won’t be able to keep this from him for much longer, and if I do—”

 

“If you do, you risk your relationship,” Allison replied knowingly, perching on the edge of her desk. “Let me think about it, Nathan. I’ll let you know.”

 

Kevin was her son, and while Nathan wanted to push, he knew doing so wouldn’t help his case. “Thanks, Allie.”

 

“I understand not wanting to lie to him,” Allison replied. “I don’t like keeping things from Jack either. I’ll give you my answer in the next couple of days.”

 

Nathan nodded. “That’s all I can ask.”

 

~~~~~

 

Jack kept practicing what he was going to say. The words ran through his head over and over again, in a thousand variations, trying to explain to Zoe that he was dating someone, and that someone was Stark.

 

He still hadn’t come up with the right way to break the news.

 

They ate the minestrone that SARAH had made, mostly in silence. Zoe had talked about her day, but Jack had responded only vaguely.

 

“Okay, what the hell is going on?” Zoe burst out as she finished her dinner.

 

“Language,” Jack warned half-heartedly.

 

“Seriously, Dad. What’s going on?” Zoe barreled on. “You’ve been weird for the last two weeks.”

 

Jack sighed. “Yeah, see, there’s this thing.”

 

“You’re dating someone,” Zoe said. “I knew it! You owe me, SARAH.”

 

“I don’t think I do,” SARAH responded stiffly. “How was I supposed to know, given that the Sheriff was never home?”

 

Zoe smirked. “Too bad, SARAH. You still owe me chocolate cake.” She turned to Jack. “Who is it?”

 

“That’s just the thing,” Jack began. “You’ll probably never guess.”

 

Zoe raised her eyebrows expectantly. “Which is why you’re going to tell me.”

 

Jack considered his response, but there was really no way to ease Zoe into the truth. “It’s Nathan.”

 

He watched the confusion passing across Zoe’s face, and then saw realization dawn.

 

“Wait, you mean _Dr. Stark_?” Zoe finally asked incredulously.

 

Jack shrugged. “Yeah. That’s the one.”

 

“ _Seriously_?” Zoe pressed, her eyes getting a little wider at his confirmation.

 

Jack shrugged. “Seriously.”

 

“How long?” Zoe demanded.

 

“Two weeks,” he admitted. “We were waiting for the right moment to let everybody know.”

 

Zoe leaned back in her chair. “Holy crap, Dad. You’re dating _Stark_?”

 

Jack decided that repeating the exchange with Nathan—debating whether they were dating—was probably bad form. “Yeah, pretty much.”

 

Zoe started laughing. “You know, I knew you were dating somebody because you’ve been a heck of a lot happier recently, but I had absolutely no clue it was Stark, of all people.”

 

Jack blinked, taking in all the nuances of Zoe’s explanation. “You’re not surprised that I’m dating a guy?”

 

Zoe snorted. “Not really. I mean, I had no idea you were bi, but it’s not that big of a deal, you know?”

 

Jack chuckled. “If you say so.”

 

“This isn’t the first guy?” Zoe asked, sounding curious but not uncomfortable.

 

“Not the first,” Jack admitted. “There were a couple of guys in college.”

 

“Experimentation?”

 

“It was before I met your mom,” Jack said firmly, determined not to say more than that.

 

Zoe shrugged. “Okay.”

 

“Okay?”

 

“What would you do if I said I was interested in girls?” Zoe asked shrewdly.

 

Jack smirked. “I’d say that your mom would have a field day.”

 

Zoe laughed. “Fair enough.”

 

“Are you?”

 

“No, not really,” Zoe replied. “I just—you know, wondered. I thought you were straight, is all.”

 

“Not so much,” Jack admitted. “I fell in love with your mom, and I was in love with a couple of other women, but there were men, too.”

 

“Good to know.” Zoe gave him a considering look. “But you’re really happy?”

 

“Very,” Jack said emphatically. “Promise.”

 

“Good enough for me,” Zoe announced. “I’m headed over to Pilar’s now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

 

Jack raised his eyebrows. “That’s it?”

 

“That’s it,” Zoe said cheerfully

 

Jack had the sneaking suspicion that she wasn’t reacting just to throw him off-balance. “Don’t stay out too late.”

 

Zoe grinned mischievously. “I’ll text you if I’m going to spend the night, but I promise that I won’t interrupt.”

 

“Zoe…”

 

“Trust me, Dad. You’re a lot happier when you’re getting laid. I’m not going to mess with that. See you later!” Zoe apparently had everything ready to go, because she grabbed her backpack and was out the door before Jack could come up with a reply.

 

That was probably a good thing; he had no idea what he was supposed to say to that.

 

“Are you staying in tonight, Sheriff?” SARAH asked. “Perhaps you should invite Dr. Stark over for a nightcap.”

 

Jack winced. “Sure. I’ll ask.” He didn’t think he would. As much as he liked SARAH and appreciated everything the AI did, Jack didn’t like the idea that SARAH would play the voyeur. He could ask her not to watch, but there was no guarantee she wouldn’t.

 

He called Nathan, unable to escape the sense that he was being watched. “Stark,” Nathan barked.

 

“Your phone manners really leave a lot to be desired,” Jack commented.

 

“Sheriff,” Stark drawled. “What can I do for you?”

 

“The thing tonight went pretty well. SARAH suggested I ask you over for a nightcap.”

 

“And you sound _so_ thrilled with that suggestion.”

 

“I’d like to see you,” Jack admitted.

 

“But you don’t want any other company?”

 

“Pretty much.”

 

“Come on over, Jack,” Nathan replied. “I’ll open a bottle of wine.”

 

Jack cleared his throat.

 

“I have beer, too,” Nathan said, and Jack could hear the amusement in his voice. He’d be willing to bet that Nathan knew Jack would want beer, and that he’d bought the good stuff just for him, but wouldn’t admit it.

 

“I’ll be there in ten.” Jack hung up, and then glanced at the ceiling. “Gotta go, SARAH.”

 

“I understand,” SARAH replied.

 

Jack suspected that SARAH was unhappy with him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He was happier than he’d been for a long time, and he wasn’t about to risk giving it up—but Jack wasn’t willing to piss off his house more than necessary, either. “Thanks, SARAH.”

 

~~~~~

 

Nathan hadn’t dared to hope that their respective revelations would go as well as they did. He’d fully intended on working all evening; he’d even contemplated the possibility that Zoe’s reaction would be negative enough that Jack would try to call the whole thing off.

 

The operative word there was _try_ , of course. Nathan liked Jack far too much to let him run away. Nathan figured he’d just have to convince Zoe to give him a chance.

 

Instead, both Allison and Zoe had reacted better than they might have expected, and Jack had actually let Nathan talk him into bed.

 

Well, Jack hadn’t needed much convincing, but Nathan liked being the pursuer, rather than the other way around.

 

And now, instead of spending his evening working, Nathan pushed into Jack’s body, feeling Jack press back into him. Nathan pressed his lips between Jack’s shoulder blades, moving into an easy rhythm. Jack grunted as Nathan hit his prostate. “Yeah. Just like that.”

 

Speeding his thrusts, Nathan tightened his grip on Jack’s waist, hearing the lewd smack of skin on skin. “Almost,” Nathan warned.

 

“Come on,” Jack chanted. “Come on, come on.”

 

Nathan lost the rhythm as his orgasm overtook him, and he just barely managed to reach around. It didn’t take much and Jack was coming over his hand in messy spurts.

 

They both collapsed onto the bed at the same time, Nathan’s arms still wrapped tightly around Jack. “You good?” Nathan asked.

 

“Good,” Jack agreed.

 

“Can you stay?”

 

“I don’t think I can move,” Jack admitted. “SARAH will probably be pissed with me for not coming home tonight.”

 

Nathan tightened his grip. “You going to be okay with that?”

 

“I’ll have to leave early,” Jack warned him.

 

“Wake me up before you go,” Nathan replied.

 

Jack grunted an agreement, and Nathan just managed to clean them up with the cloth he’d left next to the bed before they both fell asleep.

 

When Jack shook Nathan awake, the thin, gray light of early morning filtered through the curtains. “What time’s it?” Nathan slurred.

 

“Early. Not quite 6. You said to wake you before I left.”

 

“I did because I’m an idiot,” Nathan grumbled. “Lunch today?”

 

“Give me a call when you’re free. If I can, I’ll meet you at Café Diem.”

 

“’Kay.”

 

Jack pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. “Go back to sleep, Nathan. I’ll see you soon.”

 

Nathan drifted back to sleep, waking an hour later when his alarm went off. He hit the snooze button once, but three minutes into his five-minute window, his cell phone rang. Nathan groaned but answered. “Yeah.”

 

“Uh, hey.”

 

Nathan blinked. “Jack?”

 

“Yeah. SARAH won’t let me into the bunker.”

 

Nathan struggled to sit up, his sheets tangled around his legs. “What?”

 

“SARAH is pissed off,” Jack began, “and she won’t let me in. The only other person who might be able to help is Fargo, and I wasn’t sure we were there yet.”

 

Nathan winced. “Once Fargo knows…”

 

“The whole town knows,” Jack supplied. “I’m aware. But if SARAH won’t listen to me, and I can’t call Fargo, you’re the next logical choice.”

 

Nathan thought about it for a moment. “I’ll be there in 30 minutes,” he promised.

 

Jack was standing next to the Jeep when Nathan arrived, his hands shoved in his pockets, looking rather disgruntled. “Hey. Sorry about this.”

 

Nathan shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s see what I can do.” He led the way down the stairs to the entrance. “SARAH, it’s Nathan Stark,” he called.

 

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

 

Nathan exchanged a look with Jack. “SARAH, you need to let Jack inside.”

 

  

  1. “I’m not speaking to either of you. You’re ignoring me.”            
  



 

“We’re jealously guarding our privacy,” Nathan shot back. “Open the door.”

 

“I don’t think you understand,” SARAH said. “I don’t need you, Sheriff, and I don’t need Dr. Stark.”

 

Jack opened his mouth, and Nathan made an aborted gesture, cutting Jack off. “We understand that you’re upset, but we’d really like to talk to you without shouting at your intercom.”

 

“I suppose I could allow you inside for a conversation.”

 

Nathan hesitated when the door swung open. SARAH had capitulated too easily, and he didn’t trust her not to do something crazy.

 

The smart house had locked them in before to pursue her own ends. Maybe she’d do it again.

 

“Might as well,” Jack muttered. “What else are we going to do?”

 

Nathan waved Jack in first.

 

Jack rolled his eyes, but he walked in. After a brief pause, Nathan followed, unsurprised when the door clanged shut behind him.

 

“SARAH!” Jack called.

 

SARAH remained stubbornly silent.

 

“Go get cleaned up, Jack,” Nathan said. “I’ll pull out the big guns if I have to.”

 

Jack was climbing the stairs when SARAH asked suspiciously, “What are you planning to do, Dr. Stark?”

 

“Nothing,” Nathan replied pleasantly “As long as you allow us to leave when the sheriff is ready to go. If you don’t, I’ll reprogram your base code.”

 

SARAH didn’t respond, and Nathan decided to bide his time. He got comfortable on the couch, playing with his phone until Jack came downstairs in a clean uniform with his hair damp. “Okay,” Jack said. “You know, we’re already late. We could get breakfast at Café Diem.”

 

“I could make breakfast for you, Sheriff,” SARAH offered.

 

Nathan raised his eyebrows and shrugged, indicating his willingness to follow Jack’s lead.

 

Jack shrugged. “Yeah, sure, SARAH. That would be great.”

 

~~~~~

 

After a leisurely breakfast with Nathan—where Jack felt he was under SARAH’s microscope—Jack almost believed he’d gotten off scot-free. Nathan was stuck at GD, so he was looking forward to an evening with Zoe, which hopefully included dinner, a beer, and whatever sports game was on.

 

And then SARAH wouldn’t open the door.

 

“Come on!” Jack shouted. “SARAH, let me in.”

 

“You’re just going to ignore me again,” SARAH replied sullenly.

 

Jack sighed. “SARAH, I’m home for the evening. I’m not going anywhere.”

 

“You’ve been ignoring me for weeks.”

 

“I wasn’t ignoring you!” Jack protested. “I’m dating Dr. Stark. I spend time with him. You can’t begrudge me that.”

 

“It’s like you don’t want Dr. Stark and I to get to know each other,” SARAH said.

 

Jack closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, it’s like we were trying to keep it a secret from _everyone_.”

 

It hit Jack then. “Okay, SARAH, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I was dating Nathan. It was wrong to keep a secret from you.”

 

“Dad?” Zoe walked up behind him. “Why are you standing out here?”

 

“I don’t know,” Jack said, trying not to let too much of his frustration bleed through. “Ask SARAH.”

 

“SARAH?” Zoe queried. “What’s going on?”

 

“Nothing,” SARAH said. “Everything is fine.”

 

The door swung open, and Jack’s eyes narrowed. He still didn’t think that this was over.

 

“Want to hang out tonight?” Jack asked Zoe as she preceded him inside.

 

“Where’s Dr. Stark?” Zoe asked.

 

Jack shrugged. “He’s working late. I thought I’d hang out with my favorite kid—and my favorite house,” he added for good measure.

 

 Zoe gave him a skeptical look. “Uh huh. Nice try, Dad.”

 

“I’m serious,” Jack protested. “On both counts. I haven’t been able to spend much time with you lately.”

 

Zoe shrugged. “It’s cool, Dad, but I expect the same amount of understanding when I have a boyfriend.”

 

Jack snorted. “We’ll see how much I like him.” At Zoe’s glare, Jack amended, “But I’ll try.”

 

Zoe laughed. “I guess that’s as much as I can hope for.”

 

Dinner went off without a hitch, although Jack suspected that SARAH was more interested in feeding Zoe than him. His suspicion was proven correct when he tried to go to bed.

 

The operative word there— _tried_.

 

Jack had no idea what SARAH was doing, but there was a constant high-pitched hum in his room that he couldn’t ignore no matter how much he wanted to.

 

“SARAH, what is that noise?” Jack finally demanded.

 

“I have no idea what you mean, Sheriff.”

 

Jack scowled at the ceiling. “That _noise_. What the hell, SARAH?”

 

“Cursing at me won’t help matters,” SARAH replied repressively.

 

“Cut it out,” Jack said.

 

“I don’t—”

 

“If you don’t cut it out, I’m going to spend the night with Nathan,” Jack threatened. “And I’ll bring him back here tomorrow to change your programming.”

 

“That threat will only work so often, Sheriff,” SARAH replied ominously.

 

“As long as it works tonight,” Jack shot back.

 

The noise abruptly stopped, and SARAH said, “Sleep well.”

 

“Yeah,” Jack muttered. “I know. This isn’t over.”

 

~~~~~

 

Nathan sipped his wine as Jack leaned a little closer. “I think we need to spend more time at my place,” Jack said a little desperately.

 

“Let me guess, SARAH is giving you problems,” Nathan replied, taking a bite of steak.

 

“You have _no_ idea,” Jack replied. “Do you know how much trouble your house can cause when she’s pissed off at you?”

 

“And spending time there will help?” Nathan asked. “I thought you were worried about her voyeuristic tendencies.”

 

“I am,” Jack replied. “But I’m more concerned about my inability to get any sleep, not to mention the fact that SARAH has figured out how to make sure that everything I eat is either burned or undercooked.”

 

“You could just come to Café Diem.”

 

“Which exacerbates the problem!” Jack exclaimed. “Dammit, Nathan. I’ve started syncing my schedule with Zoe’s, just so I can get in and out without any problem.”

 

Nathan couldn’t help it. He snickered. “Jack, you’re talking about your house.”

 

“My point exactly,” Jack said darkly. “Seriously, Nathan. When your house turns against you…”

 

“I’ll grab an overnight bag, and we’ll spend the night at your place,” Nathan promised.

 

Nathan prided himself on his timing, but he was off tonight. Vincent had been approaching from behind as he spoke, and Nathan saw Jack’s eyes widen just as Vincent said, “Is there something you’d like to tell me, Sheriff Carter?”

 

Jack let out an audible sigh. “We’re trying to keep it quiet a little longer, Vince.”

 

“Of course,” Vincent assured them. “Absolutely. My lips are sealed. Would you two like anything else?”

 

“I think we’re good,” Nathan replied. As soon as Vincent had bustled away, Nathan asked, “How long do you think it’s going to take?”

 

“Twenty-four hours, give or take,” Jack replied. “It won’t take long.”

 

Nathan knew it probably wouldn’t even take that much time for the news to make the rounds. “You ready for this?”

 

Jack grinned, although there was a hint of vulnerability in his eyes. “Hey, I’m not the one who’s slumming it.”

 

“I think you might be surprised by who thinks who’s slumming,” Nathan shot back. “Ready?”

 

Jack swallowed the rest of his beer. “Yeah, let’s get out of here.”

 

Nathan was fairly certain that he heard whispers as they left, although he did his best to ignore the murmurs and looks. “My car?” Jack asked.

 

Nathan sighed. “Might as well.”

 

Fargo would have heard the news by the time he made it into the office the next morning, Nathan thought. Nathan would have to put up with the stares and the whispers and the rumors. And the hell of it was that most people _would_ think that Jack had made a bad choice.

 

“I didn’t realize you were coming home tonight,” SARAH said snidely as Jack entered.

 

“You said I wasn’t spending enough time at home,” Jack replied peevishly. “So, we’re here. Is Zoe back yet?”

 

SARAH didn’t respond immediately.

 

Jack sighed and asked, “Are there any messages for me, SARAH?”

 

Nathan got the feeling that this was an established routine.

 

“Zoe said to tell you that she’d be home late because she has a study session with Pilar, and Allison called. She wants to see you at GD tomorrow.”

 

“Great,” Jack replied. “Let her know I’ll be there.”

 

“Of course, Sheriff.”

 

“Was it just me, or was that a little chilly?” Nathan murmured against Jack’s ear.

 

“Not just you,” Jack assured him. “If you’re okay with it, I think I’ll wait up for Zoe.”

 

“Of course.” Nathan had been waiting for this moment. He’d known that he could have Jack to himself for only so long, and then Nathan would have to share Jack with Zoe, with SARAH, with the rest of the town. Nathan could hide out from the rest of the world, especially now that he was no longer head of GD, but Jack couldn’t. Jack would never have that option.

 

Nathan didn’t know whether to be envious or irritated.

 

He didn’t complain when Jack found a baseball game; Nathan pulled on his laptop and began working on a set of missile schematics that one of the scientists from level 4 had sent to him.

 

Jack slumped back against the couch, half-leaning against Nathan’s side. The comfortable silence that fell between them actually made Nathan a little twitchy. The silence suggested an easiness in their relationship that Nathan didn’t feel ready to accept.

 

And yet, the idea of losing what he had with Jack made Nathan panic a little, so he was just going to have to get past his issues.

 

Zoe strolled in around 10 o’clock, and if she was surprised to see Nathan, she hid it well. “Hey, Dad,” she said. “Dr. Stark.”

 

“Did you have a good time?” Jack asked.

 

“We were studying for calculus,” Zoe replied. “So, not really.”

 

Jack raised his eyebrows. “And did you get a lot done?”

 

“That I can agree with.” Zoe gave Jack a look that Nathan couldn’t quite read. “I didn’t think I’d see you again tonight.”

 

“We thought we’d hang out here tonight,” Jack replied. “If that’s okay.”

 

“As long as I don’t hear anything, I think we’re good,” Zoe agreed. “’Night, Dad. ‘Night, Dr. Stark.”

 

“Good night, Zoe,” they both said in unison.

 

Zoe laughed. “Okay, that was creepy.”

 

She took off before either of them could reply.

 

“Does she really think we’re creepy?” Nathan asked.

 

Jack chuckled. “Hard to say. You want to go to bed?”

 

“I thought you’d never ask.”

 

~~~~~

 

Even though the alarm didn’t go off the next morning—making both of them _incredibly_ late for work before they even woke up—Jack felt vindicated. He’d told Nathan that SARAH was out to get him, but he’d sensed that Nathan didn’t believe him.

 

And since they had stayed up a little later than they probably should have been, Jack wasn’t terribly surprised when he awoke and the clock read 9:15.

 

“Fuck,” Jack sighed, reaching over to shake Nathan awake. “We’re late, Nathan.”

 

“Huh?” Nathan woke more slowly than Jack expected, suggesting that he hadn’t been getting enough sleep lately. “What time is it?”

 

“It’s after nine,” Jack replied. “We’re late.”

 

“Shit.” Nathan rubbed his face briskly. “I need to call Allison.”

 

“And I need to call Jo,” Jack replied. “Also, I set my alarm for 7.”

 

“Let’s get cleaned up and make our phone calls, then we’ll deal with it together,” Nathan replied.

 

Jack wasn’t looking forward to explaining to Jo why he was late. As far as he knew, she had no idea that he was seeing anyone, let alone Nathan Stark.

 

“Hey, Jo,” he said when she picked up.

 

“Where are you?” Jo demanded. “I’ve been calling, but I couldn’t get through, and all SARAH would say is that you were sleeping in.”

 

“Yeah, SARAH is a little upset with me,” Jack admitted. “My alarm didn’t go off this morning.”

 

“Rough night? You don’t normally sleep in this late.”

 

There was something in Jo’s voice that clued Jack into the fact that she knew something. He spoke in a rush, hoping to cut off his deputy’s anger. “I’m seeing Stark, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before you found out through the grapevine. We just told Zoe and Allison in the last couple of days, and you were next on the list, but the news leaked out before we could.”

 

There was a long pause, and Jack braced himself for whatever Jo might say next. “Well,” Jo began, with a hint of mischief in her voice, “I always wondered when you two were finally going to whip them out and measure.”

 

“ _Jo_!”

 

“It’s true,” Jo replied. “I’ve seen the two of you together.”

 

Jack sighed. “I have to deal with SARAH, and I need to give Nathan a ride up to GD. Meet me for lunch?”

 

“Sure thing, Carter,” Jo replied cheerfully. “Enjoy the morning off.”

 

Jack snorted. “We’re going to try to convince SARAH to lay off. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

 

When he hung up the phone, he found Nathan staring at him. “What?”

 

“What did Jo say?”

 

“You don’t want to know,” Jack insisted.

 

“Oh, I really think I do.”

 

“Would you like to get out a ruler?” Jack shot back.

 

Nathan flushed, which pretty much never happened. “You’re joking.”

 

“I only wish I were,” Jack said glumly. “I’m pretty sure that Jo is never going to let that go.”

 

Nathan chucked. “I knew I liked your deputy.”

 

“As long as she doesn’t ask you what the results were,” Jack replied. “Can you stay long enough to get this sorted out?”

 

“Allison told me to take the morning, and whatever time I needed besides.” Nathan lounged on Jack’s bed in only a pair of boxers, the long, lean lines of his body getting Jack a little horny. “And she wants to see you ASAP.”

 

Jack sat down on the edge of the bed next to Nathan. “Right. SARAH! You want to explain why you didn’t wake us up at 7?”

 

“Did I forget to give you your wakeup call?” SARAH asked sweetly.

 

Nathan covered his mouth to hide his smirk.

 

Jack shot him a dirty look. “Don’t give me that act, SARAH. Did Zoe get off to school okay?”

 

“Of course, Sheriff,” SARAH replied. “I would never do anything to hinder Zoe’s academic achievement.”

 

Jack let out a sound of pure frustration. “SARAH, I swear I’m going to—”

 

Nathan put a hand over Jack’s mouth. “What do you want, SARAH?”

 

“I don’t know what you mean,” SARAH said stiffly.

 

Jack pulled Nathan’s hand away. “He means, what is it going to take to make it up to you?”

 

There was a long pause, and Jack wondered if he was going to regret going the diplomatic route. He supposed he could always have Nathan reprogram her, but it would feel just a little bit like murder.

 

“I think we could work something out,” SARAH admitted.

 

Jack had negotiated hostage releases a couple of times during his career with the marshals, and he’d gone through mediation with Abby during the divorce; he’d bargained with Zoe for nights out, among other things.

 

Negotiating with SARAH was a whole different ballgame, although they eventually reached an accord.

 

SARAH promised that she’d stop conveniently forgetting wakeup calls, emitting strange noises, and burning Jack’s supper, as long as Jack spent a minimum of four nights at home every week. SARAH also promised that she would not monitor or otherwise record activities that took place inside Jack’s bedroom.

 

Jack could live with the arrangement, assuming that Nathan didn’t mind spending more time with Zoe and SARAH.

 

“Will you be eating here tonight, Sheriff?” SARAH asked, while Jack and Nathan prepared to leave.

 

“I’ll call you and let you know,” Jack promised.

 

He waited until they were out the door and in his car before asking, “You don’t mind, do you?”

 

“Mind what?” Nathan asked absently, focusing on his cell phone.

 

“Spending more time with Zoe and SARAH.”

 

“Zoe’s your daughter, Jack. As much as I enjoyed having you to myself, I knew I’d eventually have to share.”

 

“Which is why you weren’t keen on the idea of telling people about us.”

 

“That would be why,” Nathan replied evenly, but then he smiled at Jack. “But yeah, I’m okay with it.”

 

Jack took a deep breath. “Good. Do you have any idea why Allison asked to see me?”

 

Nathan’s fingers paused as he texted.

 

“You do,” Jack insisted.

 

Nathan shifted in his seat. “I do, but I think it would be better if you heard it from her.”

 

Jack frowned, not liking Nathan’s tone of voice. “What’s going on?”

 

Nathan’s expression was inscrutable. “Just remember that this was about more than just me, and what I wanted, Jack.”

 

~~~~~

 

All activity stopped when Nathan walked into GD. He caught the stares and whispers as he and Jack crossed the lobby. “Well, won’t this be fun,” Jack muttered from behind him.

 

“We could give them a show,” Nathan suggested.

 

Jack snorted.

 

“It would be fun,” Nathan insisted.

 

“Not saying it wouldn’t,” Jack replied. “But maybe we can wait until after this meeting with Allison.”

 

Nathan wasn’t entirely certain that Jack would want to put on any kind of show after they were done with Allison.

 

Fargo sat at his desk outside of Allison’s office, and as they approached, he fumbled his pen and dropped a sheaf of papers on the floor.

 

“Something wrong, Fargo?” Nathan asked.

 

Fargo blushed and dove under his desk for the pen and the papers.

 

“I take it the news has already reached him,” Jack said, the grin on his face suggesting that he enjoyed torturing Fargo as much as Nathan did. “You got something to say, Fargo?”

 

“No, I’m fine!” Fargo said from under the desk.

 

“You sure?” Jack asked. “Because we’d be happy to help you out.” Jack sent a grin Nathan’s way. “We could give you a personal demonstration.”

 

Fargo yelped as he hit his head against the desk when he tried to stand too quickly.

 

“A personal demonstration in how to hold a pen,” Jack amended.

 

As much as Nathan was enjoying this whole thing, he wanted to get this meeting over with so he could deal with the potential fallout. He kept telling himself that Jack wouldn’t ditch him just because Nathan had continued working with Allison on the project with Kevin and the Artifact.

 

What they had was too important to just discard, no matter how angry Jack might be that they’d gone behind Jack’s back.

 

Allison stuck her head out of her office, interrupting Nathan’s train of thought and Jack’s teasing. “You guys want to come in and stop torturing Fargo?”

 

Jack grinned crookedly. “Not really, but sure.”

 

Nathan slouched in one of the chairs in front of Allison’s desk, unable to stifle the sense of dread.

 

Allison cleared her throat. “We needed to fill you in on some recent developments, Carter.”

 

As Allison began talking about Kevin and his connection to the Artifact—and their ongoing efforts to understand that connection—Nathan watched the play of emotions across Jack’s face, watched Jack’s blue eyes darken with anger, the way Jack’s fists clenched against his thighs.

 

Nathan knew that he’d likely lost Jack when he rose and crossed the office to the window, turning his back to them.

 

Allison’s voice faltered, and she gave Nathan a pleading look. Nathan had no idea what to say, though. He had no idea how to make things right.

 

~~~~~

 

Jack remembered what Nathan had said as Allison explained that she and Nathan had continued their research. This situation was about more than just Nathan, and his tendency to keep secrets, Jack thought. This was also about Kevin, and the danger he might be in due to his connection with the Artifact.

 

But as Allison spoke, Jack’s anger rose. He’d already known that Nathan and Allison had placed the entire town in jeopardy in order to discover what was wrong with Kevin, but this was different. This was Allison and Nathan not telling him that they had continued that research, that they had ignored his concerns.

 

They had shut him out, and that was the worst part.

 

Jack rose from his seat and walked over to the window, turning his back to them.

 

Allison trailed off. “Carter…”

 

“Don’t,” he said sharply. “I understand why you didn’t tell me that you continued your research, but you put a lot of lives in jeopardy, and you said you’d stopped.”

 

“That wasn’t our intention, Carter,” Allison said. “We’re being careful.”

 

“I know your intentions are good,” Jack snapped. “You think I don’t care about Kevin? You think I won’t do whatever it takes to protect him? But you kept going with this research even after… “ He trailed off, too angry to complete the thought. “Dammit.”

 

Nathan crossed the room to stand next to him. “Jack—”

 

“Not right now.” Jack moved away from him. “You hid this from me, Nathan. You _and_ Allison. I need some time to get my head around that. I’ve got to meet Jo for lunch anyway.”

 

“Jack.” The desperation in Nathan’s voice had him turning in the doorway. “I _am_ sorry.”

 

“Yeah, okay,” Jack replied, unable to say anything else.

 

Café Diem was bustling when he walked in, and he spotted Jo at the bar talking to Vincent. Jack slid onto the empty seat next to her. “Can I get a cup of coffee, Vince?”

 

“Of course, Sheriff,” Vincent replied. “Anything for lunch?”

 

“I’ll have my usual,” Jack replied.

 

Jo leaned towards him when Vincent bustled off. “Something wrong? Did things with SARAH not go well?”

 

“No, that went fine. We came to a mutual understanding.”

 

“But?” Jo prompted.

 

“But nothing,” Jack said sourly. “I’m just getting sick and tired of the secrets around here.”

 

“Did you have a fight with Stark?” Jo asked, sounding almost sympathetic.

 

Jack shrugged. “Something like that.”

 

“Carter—”

 

“Can we talk about something else?”

 

Jo patted him on the arm. “Sure. We got a call from the Baker twins this morning.”

 

Jack focused on work, trying to ignore his hurt feelings. He _did_ understand why Allison and Nathan had continued their research into Kevin’s connection with the Artifact, and he probably wouldn’t have been so hurt if his relationship with Nathan had been just sex.

 

But it hadn’t been just sex, and he and Nathan had delved deep into their private lives. Jack had thought they were beyond keeping secrets of this nature from one another.

 

Jack threw himself into his work and insisted that Jo go home around five. Once Jo was gone, Jack called SARAH as promised. “I’m sorry, but I’m not going to make it home for dinner.”

 

“Will you be spending the evening with Dr. Stark?” SARAH asked.

 

“No, I’m going to be at work to make up for missing time this morning,” Jack replied. “I’ll be home late, but I’ll be there.”

 

“Is everything all right, Sheriff?”

 

“Sure,” Jack replied, hoping that the cheer in his voice didn’t sound too false. “Just fine.”

 

As much as Jack hated paperwork, he was just as happy to lose himself in mundane forms. He’d cleared half the backlog by the time the station door opened; Jack wasn’t all that surprised to see Nathan enter.

 

“Hey.” Nathan sounded uncharacteristically hesitant, but Jack didn’t look up.

 

“Hi.”

 

Nathan slid into the seat across from the desk. “So, you’re still angry.”

 

“Wouldn’t you be?” Jack asked, finally meeting Nathan’s eyes.

 

Nathan looked away. “Yes, I would be. Secrets are a way of life for me, Jack, and I was trying to protect Kevin. I may not be with Allison any longer, but I still feel as though he’s my son.”

 

“And I get that, I do,” Jack insisted. “I just—I don’t like being left out of the loop, especially after what happened with the dream sharing.”

 

Nathan moved around the desk, kneeling on the floor next to Jack’s chair. “What can I do to make it up to you?”

 

“Just don’t do it again,” Jack sighed. “No more secrets, Nathan.”

 

“I can’t make that promise,” Nathan replied, his hands gripping Jack’s thighs. “There will be times when I have no choice but to keep a secret.”

 

There was a part of Jack that wanted to end things right there. He didn’t like being lied to, and he didn’t like being left out of the loop, especially when it was Allison and Nathan leaving him out.

 

It just reminded Jack that he’d been a third wheel, and that Nathan could decide at any time that he didn’t want Jack, that he wanted Allison instead.

 

But Jack couldn’t give Nathan up. He couldn’t let this go.

 

“Don’t keep something like this from me again,” Jack ordered.

 

“I’ll do my best,” Nathan promised. “Jack, this thing we’ve got between us—it’s not what I expected, but I don’t want to give it up. I want to make this work.”

 

Jack took a deep breath. “Me, too.”

 

“So, are we good?” Nathan asked, and Jack caught the underlying anxiety in his voice.

 

Jack put his hands over Nathan’s. “Yeah, I guess we are. I’ve still got some paperwork to finish up. I should finish it.”

 

“Mind if I stick around?” he asked.

 

Jack smiled. “No, I guess not. SARAH’s expecting me at home later.”

 

“Then I guess I’ll just spend the night at your place, if that’s all right,” Nathan said. “I’ve got an overnight bag in my trunk.”

 

“That’s a little presumptuous, don’t you think?” Jack teased, feeling a little tentative.

 

“I had a few ideas for how to convince you to forgive me,” Nathan admitted. “I’d be happy to give you a sneak preview.”

 

“Not while I’m on the clock,” Jack replied. “But I’d be happy to hear all your ideas later.”

 

“It works better if I show you.” Nathan squeezed Jack’s legs and then rose. “I’m going to grab my laptop.”

 

Jack got to his feet and pulled Nathan in for a gentle kiss. “Sounds like a plan.”

 

“I always have a plan, Sheriff,” Nathan murmured, his thumb ghosting over Jack’s cheekbone.

 

“So, if I’d said no?” Jack asked.

 

“Then I guess I would have had to convince you otherwise.” Nathan’s lips brushed against his. “Thanks.”

 

Jack nodded and sat back down, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He really did have paperwork to finish, and he had hours to make up, although he was looking forward to seeing what Nathan had up his sleeve.

 

This was, he supposed, part of being in an actual relationship, instead of just sneaking around. The rest of the world intruded far too often.

 

Good thing he was dating the smartest man in Eureka; Nathan had a plan for everything.

 

~~~~~

 

Nathan hadn’t liked the rising panic he’d felt all afternoon, while he waited for some sign from Jack that it wasn’t all over.

 

By the time the clock turned to 6 pm, Nathan was tired of waiting. He was ready to make his own move, to beard the lion in its den, so to speak. He packed an overnight bag, just in case Jack let this whole thing go—or Jack needed more convincing, which was also possible.

 

In fact, when Nathan knelt in front of Jack, he was ready to offer a blowjob right there, in the hope of making this right.

 

He was a little disappointed when Jack insisted that he couldn’t do anything while on duty, although he wasn’t surprised.

 

Instead, Nathan spent his time going over the data from one of his current experiments, allowing Jack to get his paperwork done. Nathan didn’t miss the frequent glances that Jack sent his way, even though he didn’t let on that he knew about Jack’s distraction.

 

When Jack tossed the last file in his out box, Nathan straightened in his chair. “You ready to go?”

 

“I don’t think I’m going to be up for much more than sleeping,” Jack said. “I’m pretty beat.”

 

“Then we’ll sleep,” Nathan said. “I’d like to wake up with you tomorrow.”

 

Jack gave him a hard look. “Seriously?”

 

“Seriously.” Nathan suspected that Jack was testing his resolve, but Jack didn’t have the first idea of how far Nathan would go in the pursuit of something he wanted.

 

Nathan hadn’t known how much he wanted Jack until the moment he walked out of Allison’s office that morning with a “Yeah, sure.”

 

He followed Jack to his Jeep, tossing his overnight bag and laptop case into the backseat before climbing into the passenger seat. Jack glanced at Nathan with a look he couldn’t read, but he started up the car and began driving to the bunker without further comment.

 

“Zoe should be home tonight,” Jack offered.

 

“That’s fine,” Nathan replied evenly.

 

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Okay.”

 

Zoe was still working on her homework at the table when they entered, and Jack greeted her immediately. “Hey, you doing okay?”

 

“I’m stuck on my advanced physics,” Zoe admitted. “I don’t think I’m ever going to understand this.”

 

Nathan could take a cue like that. “Let’s see what you’re working on.”

 

Zoe’s physics homework—while advanced—was still child’s play for Nathan. While he helped Zoe, Nathan kept one ear open for Jack. Jack moved around the kitchen, asking Nathan at one point whether he’d eaten dinner.

 

“Not yet,” Nathan admitted.

 

Jack shook his head, but he made two sandwiches and set one down in front of Nathan, who tucked with relish.

 

By the time Nathan finished his meal, he also had Zoe sorted out, and she was dashing through the problems. “Thanks, Dr. Stark!” she said as she put her books away. “I think I’ve got it now.”

 

She wandered upstairs, leaving Jack and Nathan alone in the living room.

 

“So, you still want to just sleep?” Jack asked.

 

“That’s entirely up to you,” Nathan replied.

 

Jack gave him a considering look. “Come on upstairs. We’ll figure it out when we get there.”

 

Nathan followed Jack to his bedroom, dropping his overnight bag on the floor next to the bed. He waited for the all clear, for Jack’s signal that he was open to more than just sleeping.

 

Jack stared at him for a long moment before saying, “Okay, then. Convince me.”

 

Nathan didn’t need another invitation. He fell to his knees in front of Jack and unbuckled him. Jack was already half-hard by the time Nathan pulled his pants and underwear down, and Nathan grabbed Jack’s ass to keep him upright.

 

They’d done a lot, but Nathan had never given Jack a blowjob. It felt more intimate than most sex acts, and Nathan didn’t have a lot of experience, but he was good at extrapolating data. Nathan knew that felt good on the receiving end; he used every bit of that knowledge to drive Jack wild now.

 

Nathan had never realized it before, but there was a certain amount of restrained power about being on this end of oral sex. He could drive Jack crazy with his mouth alone, but he could put an end to Jack’s pleasure, too. One injudicious nip would curb Jack’s arousal easily—but Nathan didn’t want that.

 

He wanted drive Jack to distraction, to make him come, to make Jack lose all inhibitions.

 

“Nathan,” Jack managed to say in quiet warning. “ _Nathan_.”

 

Nathan sucked harder in response, feeling Jack’s hips jerk as he sucked Jack off. He managed to swallow without gagging or otherwise showing his discomfort, and Jack ran both hands through Nathan’s hair.

 

“Shit,” Jack managed.

 

Nathan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Sit down before you fall down,” he advised.

 

Jack did as he was told, stumbling to the bed on legs that were clearly shaky. “Yeah. Give me a minute.”

 

“No,” Nathan insisted. “I owed you.”

 

Jack just managed to raise his head enough to peer at Nathan. “You don’t owe me anything. I’d have done the same thing if it had been Zoe.”

 

“So, if it’s ever Zoe, I’ll take it out in kind,” Nathan returned. “Give me this one, Jack.”

 

Jack stared at him for a very long minute before collapsing back onto the bed. “Fine. I’ll give you this one, at least until tomorrow.”

 

Nathan smiled and manhandled Jack under the covers. “Good. I’ll look forward to it.”

 

Jack shook his head, but he grinned. “Yeah, okay.”

 

Nathan climbed into bed behind Jack, throwing an arm over Jack’s waist. “Go to sleep.”

 

“Think I might be able to,” Jack mumbled. Nathan had to strain to hear since Jack’s words were indistinct.

 

Nathan pressed a kiss to the back of Jack’s neck and breathed in Jack’s scent. For now, Nathan had Jack, and that was all he needed.


End file.
